I feel although Obon does have very strong undeniable Buddhist tradition it does come across as almost excuse like "lets take a siesta, its the hottest day in the summer, I need a wee break"  from the ever hard-working Japanese.

I can almost imagine a council of monks sitting in ancient times going "man its hot ! This weather is oppressive, I reckon we should make a holiday about this time of year, Whaddya think ? Eveyones so sluggish, what reason can we give !?"

As a result Obon makes the perfect time to head to the mountains for the cool air or hit the beach to worship the sun. Most people I know and work with make a big effort to go see their families usually outside of Tokyo resulting in huge traffic jams.

Myself and my partner went to Kanazawa by bus and it took what is usually a mid-range journey turned into a 5 hour ordeal.

That aside if you look at the photos I'm sure you'll agree it was worth it.

The public gardens in the castle at Kanazawa and the temples with their decorated woodlands surrounding the area were truly beautiful and a thankful respite from the summer heat.